Brandon Aiyuk is the first San Francisco 49ers wide receiver to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Anquan Boldin did so in 2013 and 2014. In his fourth year, Aiyuk has reached a career-high of 1,090 receiving yards, solidifying his status as a legitimate No. 1 NFL wideout, just in time for upcoming contract extension negotiations.
Questions surrounded Aiyuk after his rookie season, with concerns that early success might have gone to his head. The start of the 2021 season saw Aiyuk targeted just twice in the first two games, resulting in one catch for six yards. It was a less-than-impressive beginning for the former first-round draft pick.
As the season progressed, Aiyuk's performance improved. He finished his second NFL campaign with a respectable 826 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Addressing the reduced opportunities for Aiyuk during that season, head coach Kyle Shanahan stated, "It was tied to just consistency of the game. I can't believe how long that stuck because every three weeks, I've got to talk about how far he's come since then, which I think is kind of an insult to him. So that's why I don't like always getting it repeated."
Shanahan explained that Aiyuk's NFL journey began during the challenging first year of COVID, and the following offseason, veteran Trent Sherfield showed up ready for training camp, appearing more prepared than Aiyuk.
"And so we went into the first game, and that was how training camp went, and the other guy was just more consistent at that time," Shanahan said. "It didn't mean B.A. wasn't doing [what he needed]. Yeah, he had to do some things to get more consistent to be ahead of Trent at the time, but that wasn't like he was in the doghouse or had to have this whole epiphany."
Aiyuk had seemingly fallen victim to the dreaded NFL sophomore slump, not uncommon for players who enjoy considerable success during their rookie seasons. Despite the setback, Aiyuk fought to earn more opportunities and prove to his coaches that he could make a difference on offense.
Shanahan emphasized, "Sometimes you learn from failing, and sometimes they don't realize, Man, I played my whole time as a rookie. That was pretty good. Yeah, it was, but you got to be better than the guy behind you at all times, not just potential-wise.
"And I think he came to camp a little off, and that's what happened. And I think he corrected that about halfway through the second game. So it's been really good since then."
